Diver&#39;s breathing regulator with floating diaphragm



Feb. 10, 1959 ROSSET 2,872,920

DIVERS BREATHING REGULATOR WITH FLOATING DIAPHRAGM Filed Oct. 22, 1956F'ia.Z

A INVENTOR. P1152125 P0555? ,4 TroRA/EY- United States Patent i DIVERSBREATHING REGULATOR WITH FLOATING DIAPHRAGM Pierre Rosset, Fontenay auxRoses (Seine), France, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to La Spirotechnique, Paris, France, ajoint-stock company Application October 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,602

8 Claims. (Cl. 128-142) This invention relates to diving apparatus ofthe general type wherein the flow of air or other breathable gas from apressurized source (such as a container carried on the back of a diver)to a mouthpiece held in the divers mouth, is controlled by a regulatorthat is located at a distance from the divers face and connected to themouthpiece by an exhalation conduit and an inhalation conduit.

Previous apparatus of this type makes use of a solid regulator diaphragmwhich must be lifted by inhaling action of the divers lungs in order toopen the inhalation valve of the regulator.

The necessity of lifting the weight of the diaphragm interposes an extrastrain upon a divers lungs and makes breathing more difficult thannormal respiration above water.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatusutilizing a regulator diaphragm which encloses a sealed pocket of air,said air pocket having a predetermined amount of buoyancy whichcounteracts the weight of the diaphragm when submerged in water andcauses the diaphragm to become-for breathing purposes-virtuallyweightless. Thus the diaphragm permits more nearly normal breathingunderwater and conserves a divers energy as well as making the breathingprocess a pleasant one instead of an ordeal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatuswhich combines a weightless regulator diaphragm with an exhalation valvewhich can be located at any selected distance from the diaphragm withoutadversely affecting its operation, which will open during exhalationwithout requiring any exhalation effort, and which will be positivelyclosed automatically upon each inhaling portion of the breathing cycle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatusof relatively simplified and cheapened manufacturing construction andcost.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuingspecification and appended drawings in which:

Fig. l is a schematic diagram of a breathing apparatus embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the regulator thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown as an example ofone form in which the invention may be embodied, a breathing apparatusembodying a fitting (e. g. mouthpiece) for attachment to the diversface, to establish a connection to the lungs; inhalation and exhalationconduits 11 and 12 respectively, connected to a tubular section 13 ofthe mouthpiece 10; a regulator 14 to which the inhalation conduit 11 isconnected; a source of compressed air, such as the tank 15, connectedthrough a supply tube 16 to the regulator 14; an exhalation valve 18connected to the end of exhalation conduit 12; and an actuator 19 forpositively closing the exhalation valve 18.

2,872,920 Patented Feb. 10, 1959 The mouthpiece 10 may be of the typecommonly utilized in underwater breathing apparatus, including lugs 20to be gripped between the divers teeth for holding the mouthpiece in thedivers mouth; or may be a face mask. The conduits 11 and 12 are offlexible, lightweight corrugated hose of waterproof material.

Regulator 14 includes a casing 21 which may be of cylindrical drum shapeincluding a flat end wall 22, a peripheral wall 23 and a peripheralflange 24 projecting radially outwardly. A diaphragm 25, which may befabricated from a sheet of rubber, has a central opening, and a pair ofrelatively rigid discs (e. g. of metal) 25 and 25" secured in sealedrelation (as by bonding) to opposite faces thereof around such centralopening, so as to define an air chamber between them in the central areaof the diaphragm. Diaphragm 25 is sealed and secured to the flange 24 bya mating flange 26 on the peripheral wall 27 of a cover 28 which isattached to casing 21 by means of bolts or rivets 29 extending throughthe flanges 24 and 26. Defined between diaphragm 25 and casing 21 is atransfer chamber 30. Joined to peripheral Wall 23 and communicating withchamber 30 is a nipple 31 to which the inhalation conduit 11 isconnected. End wall 22 is provided (preferably at the center thereof)with a pressure line fitting 32 defining a valve chamber, a valve seat33 at the bottom thereof, a cap 34 at the outer end thereof, having anaperture 35, and an inlet port boss 36 having an inlet 37 connected tovalve seat 33 by a passage 38. The inlet 37 is closed by a poppet valve39 which normally engages valve seat 33 under the yielding pressure of acoil spring 40 engaged between the valve 39 and cap 34, under lightcompression. Poppet valve 39 has a stem 41 extending through passage 38.

Valve casing 32 functions to connect the inlet 37 to the supply tube 16coming from the pressurized reservoir 15, and when open, admitspressurized breathing gas into the transfer chamber 36 from which it maybe drawn through nipple 31 and inhalation hose 11 and mouthpiece 10 intothe divers lungs.

Valve 39 is controlled in response to suction (lowered pressure) inducedin chamber 30 by the inhaling action of the divers lungs. To this end,the invention utilizes a conventional actuator linkage between thediaphragm 25 and valve stem 41. Merely by way of illustration, saidlinkage is shown schematically as a compounded lever arrangementincluding a primary lever 42, having one end pivoted at 73 to the casing21 and having its other end in engagement with a bearing plate 25attached to diaphragm 25; and a secondary lever 43 having one endpivoted at 44 to inlet member 36, having an intermediate portionengaging the end of stem 41 and having its opposite end bearing againstthe lever 42 at a point near the pivot 73, the bearing of lever 43against stem 41 likewise being relatively near pivot 44 so that asatisfactory compounded leverage multiplication factor is attained. Therelationship is selected so as to provide for overcoming the resistanceof spring 40 plus the pressure of the gas against the head of poppetvalve 39, with only a moderate breathing effort, including the effortnecessary to actuate the escape valve closing actuator in accordancewith the explanation given hereinafter.

Defined between cover 28 and diaphragm 25 is a chamber 45 whichcommunicates freely with the ambient fluid (e. g. the body of water inwhich the diver is immersed) through apertures 46 therein. The chamber45 and cover 28 may serve merely to provide a protected space formovement of diaphragm 25, protecting it from contact with externalobjects, or may function additionally as a housing for the exhalationvalve 18. To anchor the exhalation valve in a fixed position withrelation to the balance of the apparatus it is preferred to attach it tothe regulator and in this case the preferable arrangement is to encloseand protect it within the cover 28. The lips of the mouth 49 are adaptedto come together to close the valve.

When the diver is swimming, be normally faces downwardly which causesthe side of diaphragm facing cover 28 to also face downwardly. Inprevious regulators having a solid diaphragm, the weight of thediaphragm is exerted against the water and not against the levers 42 and43. Consequently, in inhaling, the diver must overcome the vacuum in theinhalation hose 11 and chamber 30 developed by the weight of thediaphragm pulling it downwardly, and must lift such diaphragm weightbefore pressure can be applied by the diaphragm to the inhalation valvelinkage to furnish air for breathing. The air pocket embodied in thediaphragm of the present invention counteracts its weight because of itsbuoyancy and is adapted to apply a rasing force on the diaphragm equalto the downward force exerted by its weight. The air pocket, as can beseen, causes the diaphragm to become virtually weightless as far as thediver is concerned when he breathes and permits much more nearly normalbreathing than was previously possible with former underwater breathingapparatuses.

Occasionally the diver finds it necessary to turn over on his backthereby turning the regulator over and cansing the side of diaphragm 25facing the water to face upwardly. With previous regulators employingsolid diaphragms, the weight of the diaphragm tended to depress levers42 and 43 and thereby admit additional air into chamber 30 whichproduced an annoying overfeeding of air to the divers lungs. The presentdiaphragm incorporating an air pocket, avoids this excessive feeding ofair by providing a predetermined amount of buoyancy to the diaphragmwhich eliminates the weight pressing down on levers 42 and 43. It can beseen that whether a diver is swimming face downward or upward, thisimproved diaphragm permits more normal breathing than has been possibleheretofore.

Instead of a single air pocket, the diaphragm 25a, as shown in Fig. 3,may have a central section 25b of buoyant material, such as unicellularneoprene foam rubber or unicellular plastic foam, having a large numberof small air pockets providing buoyancy. A suitable material is foamedpolystyrene plastic material, known commercially as Styrafoam.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, buoyancy is increased bylocating the entire volume of the buoyant foamed plastic body 25d belowthe diaphragm 250 which in this casernay be continuous across its fulldiameter as shown, and may be bonded to the upper face of body 25d. Thusthe full volume of the buoyant body 25d is effective in displacing waterfrom the body of water filling the chamber 45. A disc 48 of hardmaterial may be bonded to the upper face of the diaphragm to provide abearing surface for engagement [by lever 42.

Another modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 5, wherein adished circular panel 25) of rigid or stiff material such as hardplastic sheet or sheet metal with a flanged rim, as shown, is bonded andsealed to the under face of the diaphragm 25 to provide a buoyant airchamber disposed entirely below the diaphragm in the central areathereof, to provide maximum displacement.

The invention contemplates an over-all reduction in the dead weight ofthe diaphragm as compared to the diaphragm units of conventionalregulators.

I claim:

1. A regulator for controlling flow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lungs, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation conduit extending'from said fitting tosaid regulator, comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving thegas to said inhalation conduit; a diaphragm cooperating with said casingto define a transfer chamber in communication with said inlet andoutlet, through which the compressed gas is metered from said source tosaid inhalation conduit in response to suction applied to said chamberby the divers inhalation, said diaphragm having an air space therein forproviding the diaphragm with a predetermined measure of buoyancy toapproximate normal breathing conditions by rendering said diaphragmvirtually weightless when' under water and therefore eliminating. theexpenditure of effort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm whenbreathing; a normally closed metering valve controlling the flow throughsaid inlet; and means for opening said metering valve in responsetoinhalation-induced inward movement of said diaphragm.

2. A regulator for controlling fiow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lungs, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation conduit extending from said fitting tosaid regulator, comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving thegas to said inhalation conduit; a diaphragm cooperating with said casingto define a transfer chamber in communication with said inlet andoutlet, through which the compressed gas is metered from said source tosaid inhalation conduit in response to suction applied to said chamberby the divers inhalation, said diaphragm having an air space therein forproviding the diaphragm with a predetermined measure of buoyancy toapproximate normal breathing conditions by rendering said diaphragmvirtually weightless when under water and therefore eliminating theexpenditure of effort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm whenbreathing; a normally closed metering valve controlling the flow throughsaid inlet; means for opening said metering valve in response toinhalation-induced inward movement of said diaphragm; an exhalationescape valve having means connecting it to said exhalation conduit, saidescape valve being normally free to release exhaled gas into said bodyof water; and an actuator operable, in response to said inhalationinduced inward movement of the diaphragm, to mechanically actuate saidescape valve to a closed position.

3. A regulator for controlling flow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lungs, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation conduit extending from said fitting tosaid regulator, comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving thegas and an outlet for delivering the gas to said inhalation conduit; adiaphragm cooperating with said casing to define a transfer chamber incommunication with said inlet and outlet, through which the compressedgas is metered from said source to said inhalation conduit in responseto suction applied to said chamber by the divers inhalation, saiddiaphragm including a flexible peripheral section of annular form and apair of central discs attached to the inner margin of said peripheralsection, in spaced relation with an air pocket between them providingthe diaphragm with a predetermined measure of buoyancy to facilitatenormal breathing by rendering said diaphragm virtually weightless whenunder water and therefore eliminating the expenditure by the diver ofeffort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm when breathing; a normallyclosed metering valve controlling the flow through said inlet; means foropening said metering valve in response to inhalation-induced inwardmovement of said diaphragm; and an exhalation escape valve-having meansfor connecting it to said exhalation conduit.

4. A regulator for controlling flow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lung, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation conduit extending from said fitting tosaid regulator, comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving thegas and an outlet for delivering the gas to said inhalation conduit; adiaphragm cooperating with said casing to define a transfer chamber incommunication with said inlet and outlet, through which the compressedgas is metered from said source to said inhalation conduit in responseto suction applied to said chamber by the divers inhalation, saiddiaphragm including a flexible peripheral section of annular form and apair of central discs attached to the inner margin of said peripheralsection, in spaced relation with an air pocket between them providingthe diaphragm with a predetermined measure of buoyancy to facilitatenormal breathing by rendering said diaphragm virtually weightless whenunder water and therefore eliminating the expenditure by the diver ofeffort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm when breathing; a normallyclosed metering valve controlling the flow through said inlet; means foropening said metering valve in response to inhalation-induced inwardmovement of said diaphragm; an exhalation escape valve having means forconnecting it to said exhalation conduit said escape valve beingnormally free to release exhaled gas into said body of water; and anactuator operable, in response to said inhalation induced inwardmovement of the diaphragm, to mechanically actuate said escape valve toa closed position.

5. A regulator for controlling flow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lungs, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation conduit extending from said fitting tosaid regulator comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving gasfrom said source and an outlet for delivering the gas to said inhalationconduit; a diaphragm cooperating with said casing to define a transferchamber in communication with said inlet and outlet, through which thecompressed gas is metered from said source to said inhalation conduit inresponse to suction applied to said chamber by the divers inhalation,said diaphragm having a buoyant central section of less weight in airthan the weight of the water displaced thereby when submerged, with aprede termined measure of buoyancy to approximate normal breathingconditions by rendering said diaphragm virtually weightless when underwater and therefore eliminating the expending by the diver of extraeffort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm when breathing; a normally6 closed metering valve controlling the flow through said inlet; andmeans for opening said metering valve in response to inhalation-inducedinward movement of said diaphragm.

6. A regulator for controlling flow of breathable gas from a source ofsuch gas under pressure to a fitting that is attachable to a divers facein communication with his lungs, through an inhalation conduit extendingfrom the regulator to such fitting, and for controlling the escape ofexpired gas from said fitting into a body of water in which the diver isimmersed, through an exhalation con duit extending from said fitting tosaid regulator comprising: a casing having an inlet for receiving gasfrom said source and an outlet for delivering the gas to said inhalationconduit; a diaphragm cooperating with said casing to define a transferchamber in communication with said inlet and outlet, through which thecompressed gas is metered from said source to said inhalation conduit inresponse to suction applied to said chamber by the divers inhalation,said diaphragm having a buoyant central section of less weight in airthan the weight of the water displaced thereby when submerged, with apredetermined measure of buoyancy to approximate normal breathingconditions by rendering said diaphragm virtually weightless when underwater and therefore eliminating the expending by the diver of extraeffort in lifting the weight of the diaphragm when breathing; a normallyclosed metering valve controlling the flow through said inlet; means foropening said metering valve in response to inhalation-induced inwardmovement of said diaphragm; a cover attached to said casing and securingsaid diaphragm thereto in sealed relation thereto, said cover definingan exhalation chamber and having an opening through which Water willfill said exhalation chamber; a normally open exhalation escape valvesupported by said cover within said exhalation chamber; a unionextending through the wall of said cover, communicating with said escapevalve, and providing for connection of said exhalation conduit thereto;and an actuator attached to the outer side of said diaphragm, movingtherewith and operable, in response to said inhalation induced inwardmovement of the diaphragm, to mechanically actuate said escape valve toa closed condition.

7. A regulator as defined in claim 5 wherein said diaphragm comprises aperipheral section of rubber, and a pair of rigid discs attached andsealed around their edges to the inner margin of said peripheral sectionand having an air space between them to provide said buoyancy.

S. A regulator as defined in claim 5, wherein said diaphragm has acentral section of cellular foamed material embodying a large number ofsmall air pockets to provide said buoyancy.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 1,102,561France May 11, 1955

